Tailspin
by Fire in the Darkest Demon
Summary: AU. After she loses everything trying to get out of debt, Marceline Abadeer finds her life rapidly spiraling down. The return of her father, sudden appearance of her old "friend" Bonnibel, revenge of her ex-boyfriend Ash, and gang out for her blood really don't help. Can an unlikely angel save her from her plunge? Or will she be engulfed by her haunting past? M for...many things.
1. One Month

_**Demon here. Welcome to Tailspin! It moves quicker than a jet plane and will knock you flat on your ass if you don't read carefully, so…yeah. I'll try and update quickly, so don't expect monster chapters or anything. Just, read, evaluate, and respond in some way.**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Adventure Time.**_

* * *

_Please...please...please…_

A young woman stood in a filthy pub, her long black hair tangled and wild, tumbling loose to her knees. Her clothes were old and torn; a too-small T-shirt, a too-big pair of dark denim jeans, just right combat boots that were falling apart. Green eyes sparked with some trace of life as the dice left her small, pale hand. She was playing a rather crude game with some rough men, trying to win enough money to pay off her debt to the local gang.

But first the dice had to stop at nine or above.

The game they were playing was simple enough; highest roll takes all. It was pure chance, just the woman's type of game. She held her breath as one die stopped on a five. The other kept rolling. She chewed on her lip nervously.

_Come on...come on..._

Her entire future, her present, and indeed her very life itself were on that die. If it stopped at four or above, she would have to keep up the gamble, but she'd be able to. If it didn't…well, she was a dead woman walking. The gang would come after her. The woman's lip began to bleed sweet crimson beads as the die came to rest on a two.

_No!_

"Haha, hand over the bills little lady!" the largest and roughest of the men roared. The woman whimpered and drew a wad of money from her pocket; it was all she had left. She pushed it to the center of the table and let her hands fall to her sides, arms limp as her fingers curled into fists. This wasn't happening, not to her! She couldn't have a death sentence! Tears stung her eyes, and she fought them as hard as she could, resisting the urge to reach up and brush them away before they started.

_Weak. You're weak. _

With trembling hands, she slipped off the ring she wore on her left middle finger; the only thing she had left of her deceased mother. Shaking, she held it up. One of the men shook his head.

"No. We won't take your jewelry," he said gruffly. The woman silently thanked the world and pressed the ring back onto her finger. Trembling again, she lifted the guitar she had made from her family's medieval ax; her most prized possession.

"We won't take that either," said another man. The woman's bottom lip trembled as she walked out with her guitar. She was penniless now. She had been homeless for a while, but penniless...this was a new feeling.

Blinking away tears, the woman started to play as she walked; something mournful and still angry. It wasn't her fault she was in debt; it was _his_. All his, always his. A rough hand seized her shoulder, and she turned around, terrified. Terrified that it was _him_, come back for her.

"Marceline Abadeer," snarled the man, thankfully a stranger to her eyes. His straggly, patchy chestnut hair was strange to her, his bloodshot brown eyes were a mystery, and his disheveled appearance was new. His tall height intimidated her, though, interrupting her train of relief and derailing it. "You owe us something," his rather large hand curled into a fist. The old Marceline would have punched him and run off, but this new one could do no such thing. This penniless woman was now timid and afraid; her emotional state was fractured.

"I...I'll get your money!" she stammered fearfully, terrified of the consequences.

"I hope so," the man snarled, basking in her obvious terror. "Because I came here to warn you; in one month, if you don't have the thirty thousand cash, you're dead," he flicked his coat, just enough for her to see the pistol concealed there. Marceline whimpered. "You got to the end of the month. Then..." he made a throat-slashing motion and faded into the crowd. Marceline shivered violently.

It was the first of November.

She had until the thirtieth.

A thousand dollars a day.

And her clock was ticking.

* * *

_**There's a first time for everything, just like there has to be a first alert, favorite, and review. So get to it...or I'll steal your soul. **_

_**~Demon**_


	2. M

_**Hm. Didn't expect anyone to even read this fic. Cool. Anyhow, just to clarify, it's Alternate Universe, written in present day time but with Ooo's characters. Forgot to mention that earlier. I'd say sorry, but I'm not. But anyhow, invest your time in PMing me about a title for my next story so I can post it. I'm thinking "Can't Run Away" sounds pretty cool. Oh yeah, the story's about Finn getting kidnapped. Awesome, right? It's AU, too. My third one won't be, promise.**_

_**This has now been disclaimed, 'cause I don't own AT.**_

* * *

Marceline curled up on the park bench she had been sleeping on for the past month or so. It was wooden, so it didn't burn her after it had been sitting all day in the sun. It was situated directly under a tree, so she was mostly sheltered from the rain. It was long enough for her to lie on in a loose curl. And best of all, she had carved a large M into the back of it with a pocketknife someone had dropped…a knife that she had long ago gambled away.

M for Marceline.

M for month.

M for mistakes.

A single tear streaked down her face as she rolled onto her back and peered at the stars through her leafy canopy. She had only wanted to live, to have food and shelter and clothes. Now she was on the streets, in debt to a gang. And it was all because of _him_.

Her father.

Sure she could blame other people, but her dad was the worst. He had left her when she was a mere teenager, after sixteen years of sheltering care. Marceline had been taken in by her best friend at the time, Bonnibel Bunbblegum. But then dear ol' Bonnie had left her on the streets in favor of college, and she was left to wander again, only to be picked up by her (now ex) boyfriend Ash Figglefaggart. He had taken her home, cared for her, loved her...and abused her, raped her, destroyed her. He had sold her most prized material possessions and stolen her absolute holiest of things; her virginity. He had beaten her, broken her spirit. And when she had finally gained the courage to scream that it was over and storm out the door, she had been left homeless again. With only ten dollars in her pocket, she had asked for a loan of thirty thousand, no interest, from a gang. They had agreed, and she had quickly spent the money on food to stay alive. She had skipped the "clothes and shelter" part in favor of survival, and before she knew it, the money was all gone and the gang was knocking on her proverbial door.

Now she didn't know what to do except cry herself to sleep.


	3. Blue Eyes

**_Disclaimer: Adventure Time remains not under my control. _**

* * *

When Marceline awoke, dawn was just breaking. She rose, grabbed her guitar, and headed to the nearest alley to rummage through a dumpster. Old banana peel...McDonalds bag (she scarfed down the single remaining french fry)...aha! Half of a pizza, still in the box! Yanking out her prize, Marceline hungrily wolfed down slice after slice, idly pondering how far she had sunk if she was eating cold pizza from dumpsters. Shrugging, she ripped off the front of the box and sorted through the dumpster again. No...no...no..._ew_ no...there! A discarded Sharpie! She pulled it out and pressed it desperately against the pizza box, slowly scrawling out words.

"Will...do..._anything_...for...money," she said to herself as she wrote. The letters were faded, and she had to put a dollar sign instead of "money," but it looked pretty okay. She tossed the sharpie back into the dumpster and carried her sign and the rest of the pizza box out to the street. Setting the sign on one side and the rest of the box on the other as she sat Indian-style on the cold ground, she shivered and began to play. No words, just a melody. Slowly, people began to stir. They walked, not even giving her a second glance. One young man did, much to the clear chagrin of another she assumed to be his brother.

"Here you go," he said kindly, handing her a twenty. Marceline's eyes widened. He didn't mean this for her...did he?

"Come on man, let's go! She's got homeless germs'n stuff!" the other man shouted. Marceline's eyes remained steady with the searching blue ones of the man before her as he crouched.

"You're homeless?" he asked. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. The twenty she was holding gingerly nearly blew away in a breeze, and the man laughed, curling her fingers around it. "Hold onto that now," she managed a wobbly smile and stuffed the twenty into her jeans.

"Thank you," Marceline said softly.

"Hey, don't mention it," he stood. "Go buy yourself a burger or something," but Marceline knew that she couldn't. She had to pay back the gang.

"Dude! Let's go, I'm freezing my mitts off over here!" the man's attention never left Marceline.

"Are you cold?" he asked.

"A little," she admitted, shifting uncomfortably. She hadn't had a pleasant conversation like this in _years_. The man removed his blue hoodie and handed it to her.

"Here," he said, shivering as the cold November air made contact with the exposed skin of his arms. "You need it more than I do," one corner of Marceline's mouth quirked up in a smile. "Good luck," he added as his brother tugged him away. Marceline watched as they vanished into the crowd.

The next man to speak to her wasn't so nice.

He had a long white beard, and was looking at her like Ash had; like she was a steak on a platter, ready to be devoured.

"Hm..." he stroked his beard. "What would you do for a thousand dollars?" Marceline almost died right then.

_He's joking, right? A thousand bucks!_

"Anything!" she blurted out before she could speak. "Anything at all!"

"Excellent...excellent..."

She gulped as he dragged her away.

* * *

Marceline curled up to cry on her bench that night, a thousand and twenty dollars shoved into her jeans. The man who had offered her a thousand dollars had wanted her to…to do _unspeakable _things with him. Things she had only ever done with Ash. Things she had never wanted to do again.

But she had done it.

She had sunk so low that she would do anything for money. The last thing she heard before drifting off on her bench were voices...

"Hey it's that homeless girl from earlier! What? No, don't go closer!" a gentle touch caressed Marceline's face, but she didn't dare open her eyes. "Gross man. You're touching her."

"She's been crying," this was the man who had first given her money speaking. Marceline could hear the gentle edge in his voice. "I wonder why...?"

"Man, who cares? She's just some homeless chick."

"We've gotta do something to help her. I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing that I let someone like her go the winter without shelter."

_Someone like me?_

Marceline was touched. This man was truly trying to reach out.

"No."

"But...!"

"No, she cannot stay in our house. She's probably got all kinds'a homeless germs."

"Man, you're such a hypocrite. You let Lady come over when she's sick!"

"That's different. She's my _fiancé_."

"So? Come on, look at this girl. Do you really want her to go through the winter without shelter? That's a death sentence!"

"There's a homeless shelter just down the road!"

But Marceline couldn't go there; too easy to find.

"Maybe there's a reason she's not there."

_This guy's pretty bright. _

"Or maybe they kicked her out because she's a psychopath!" the brother shouted. Marceline scowled. She wasn't a _psychopath_!

"Sh! You're gonna wake her up!"

_I'm already awake, genius. _

"Oh yeah, let the homeless psycho girl sleep peacefully while you keep your own brother outta bed. I see how it is. Well I'm goin' home, with or without you. And _no_, she cannot come!"

"I'll be right there!"

Then Marceline actually fell asleep.


	4. Breakfast

The next morning, something warm and soft was over Marceline. She blinked away sleep and opened her eyes. A blanket! A black blanket, made of fleece. She smiled and reveled in the gesture for a moment before standing and (taking her blanket, sign, pizza box, and guitar) heading back to the alley to rummage for breakfast.

* * *

The man with the white beard was back, and offering a thousand dollars if she did it with him again. Marceline started trembling with indecision. What was best? Take the money or take her pride?

She nodded her head, and he grabbed her wrist.

"Excellent! Let's go somewhere close...the restroom of that diner will do," Marceline choked back sobs as he dragged her away. Once they were inside the diner, she saw the same man who had given her the blanket eating a donut.

_Please don't see me...please don't see me..._

She yelped as the bearded man got impatient and grabbed for her butt. The blue-eyed man's head turned.

"See dude? Told ya she was trouble! Prostitute!" the brother hissed. Marceline heard, and her ears burned. Was that what she was now?

"Shut up," the blue-eyed man said harshly, stunning his brother into silence. He dropped his donut, charged forward, and stood in front of the restroom door. "Let her go, Simon."

"Why? She agreed to it," the blue-eyed man's eyes flashed with disbelief, and the look he gave her was just enough to make her tears fall.

"Please..." she whispered. "He offered a thousand...please..." she hoped he understood, because Simon's hand was creeping from her butt into the sensitive area between her legs, which were now trembling.

The kind man's blue eyes raged.

"I told you to let her go," he growled, clenching his fists.

"Or what?" Simon sneered.

"Or this," the man punched Simon square in the face. The man staggered back and ran out.

"You're not getting your thousand!" he screamed. Marceline looked at her savior with wondering eyes as he watched Simon's escape, but looked down swiftly when he looked back at her.

"Hey," he said softly. She didn't look up. "Don't feel bad."

"Thanks for the blanket," Marceline finally murmured. His face exploded in a grin.

"Oh you like it? Good! I'm Finn, by the way," he held out a hand.

"Marceline. You probably shouldn't shake my hand...homeless germs," she shot a glance at the brother.

"Oh, don't mind Jake. He's just leery of homeless people," "Finn" said. "Why do you need a thousand dollars?"

"I..." she bit her lip. "Debt," was her simple answer.

"Ah. So I'm guessing you went dumpster diving for breakfast again?" she nodded. "How about dinner?"

"I only eat breakfast," she replied.

"Well let's get you a proper breakfast," he put a guiding hand on her back and led her back to his booth. "Jake, this is Marceline. Marceline, Jake."

"Oh great, you got her name," Jake mumbled sarcastically.

"Well yeah," Finn replied, as if it was a no-brainer. He then turned to Marceline. "What would you like? I'm paying," she ordered the cheapest thing on the menu (a ninety-nine cent bagel), but Finn insisted on getting her the most expensive (a huge platter with three pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon that cost twenty dollars). Marceline offered the twenty he had given her. "I'm serious. I'm paying," he said firmly.

_He's pretty nice...but so was Ash. What's this guy's end game?_

"So Marceline, what d'ya wanna do?" Finn asked. She blinked.

"What do...I want to do?" she asked slowly.

"Yeah. We can do whatever you like."

"I-I can't think of anything...I'd like to be alone," she said softly.

"I can deal with that; I've got college to go to anyhow," Finn stood and smiled down at her, handing her a one hundred dollar bill. "That's for you," he set down a fifty, "and that's for the food. You keep the change."

_That guy must be filthy rich, _she thought as he walked out.

Then her food came, and she scarfed it down like it was nothing. God, she hadn't eaten like that in who knew how long! When she was done, she payed, took the money, and left the diner to sit on the side of the road again, humming her songs.

But they were just a little happier now.


	5. The Day

_**Expect longer chapters from here on out. Bad people will soon show up...worse than Simon. Bad for Marceline, at least. Stay tuned. I refuse to say please until I know you better.**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Adventure Time.**_

* * *

The next day, Marceline didn't rummage in any dumpsters. She just sat out on the street and played, hoping for the best.

Sure enough, the man called Finn was back—this time without his brother.

He sat down beside her.

"You hungry?" she nodded. "I have someplace special I want to take you to. But you have to promise you'll spend the whole day with me," she hesitated. A whole day? That was a long time to spend with a strange man. But still, she nodded. This Finn person wouldn't find her an easy target should he attempt to attack her. She may have been broken, but Marceline wasn't helpless. "Come on, then; let's go," he stood and held out a hand. She stood without his help and followed him down the street to a restaurant called Chez Lux, which was made entirely of what appeared to be glass. Marceline could see the beautiful wooden chairs and the wooden tables with the glass tops, and the glass chandeliers...she was in awe. Finn pulled her inside. The waitress looked Marceline up and down scornfully, and she scuffed her feet. She knew how filthy she was.

"Let's go," she whispered to Finn. She didn't belong in this world with its suits and dresses, its glass and candles.

"Your table is ready," the waitress led them into a back room, separated by a white curtain. There was only one table, with two chairs.

"I usually bring Jake here. Or another one of my friends. But I figured I'd let you see into my world," he smiled. "I have connections with the chef; she's a close friend."

_How close_? Marceline wondered, but said nothing.

"What would you like to drink?" the waitress asked.

"I'll just have an ice water, Diamond. Marceline?"

"I'll, um...I'll have the same," she said softly.

"I'll be right back," Diamond left.

"Order anything you like; I'm paying," Finn insisted. There was a long silence. "What's your story, anyhow?" she shook her head. "Too private? Okay, I won't pry."

"Thanks."

"No problem. Just tell me this; why are you afraid of me?" but she couldn't.

Nobody could know about Ash.

Ash.

He plagued her mind like a shadow, trailing her even on the warmest of days.

"Not talking? That's cool, too," he smiled, but she knew it was forced.

"I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry for," he smiled again, more easily this time as their waters arrived on Diamond's tray.

"Are you ready to order?"

"Yes, we'll take the bottomless pancake bowl please," Finn smiled charmingly when he realized that Marceline was considering taking the cheap way again.

"That'll be right up!" Diamond sauntered away.

"Marceline, what would you like to do today?" Finn asked.

_What would I...?_

"I..." she let the single word fall from her awestruck lips.

Hunson, Hunson, Hunson.

Bonnie, Bonnie, Bonnie.

Ash, Ash, Ash.

Never once was "Marceline" included in the mix.

He was asking her what she wanted to do, but it had been so long that she truly believed that she had no self anymore. She loved music, always music. And her ring. But other than that...

"I'll take you shopping," Finn decided. "Your clothes don't fit right," he blushed a little. "Sorry. I couldn't help but notice," and Marceline knew that her bra was visible through her shirt and her breasts through her paper-thin bra, that her jeans slid halfway down her butt when she did anything except stand. But clothes were clothes, and that was that.

"It's fine," she said quietly.

"You want me to call someone so I don't violate you?" she couldn't tell if he was joking or not. "You need a new, er, bra...I could call a girl to shop with you..." but some little voice inside Marceline was screaming _NO_! so she shook her head.

"It's okay," she told him. "I don't think I'll mind so much when you do it," if he got embarrassed talking about it, she knew he wouldn't intentionally perv on her.

"But _I_ will," he insisted.

"Okay then," she gave rather easily.

"Good," he sighed with relief. "I really don't want to make you uncomfortable around me. I mean, we just met!"

"I'm fine with it," she insisted.

"No!"

"I said okay!"

"So what do we do?"

"Um...not?"

"Marceline," Finn laid a hand on hers over the table, "you have to," she looked down blankly at their hands. She hadn't felt comforting human touch in so long that feeling was...difficult now. Finn's cheeks flushed as he moved his hand away. "Sorry. Anyhow—"

"Your pancakes," all manners forgotten, Marceline dug in. She must have eaten five flapjacks before remembering to share. Finn just laughed.

* * *

As they walked through the mall, Marceline found herself clutching Finn's shirt for comfort. The stares...they brought back bad memories.

"Hey," Finn said softly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to cease her violent shivering. "It's not that cold. What's going on?"

"Th-they're staring at me..." she whimpered. Finn pulled her closer.

"I'll protect you," he promised. A few seconds later, there was a wolf whistle, and a guy slapped Marceline's butt. She whimpered, but didn't do anything about it.

Finn did.

He whipped around, grabbed the guy by the shirt, and spun him to the ground. He hit on his back.

"Ow! What the hell, man?"

"Apologize," Finn snarled as a response. Marceline was confused. Didn't Finn know that this happened all the time?

"What?"

"You heard me," Finn planted a foot on his chest.

"Okay okay! Sorry!" Finn let him up.

"Get outta here. The guy ran.

"Finn, it's okay..."

"No it's not. They can't just harass you like that. It's wrong."

She didn't argue.

It _was _wrong, but that didn't change the fact that it happened.

Eventually, they found their way to a store called JC Penny's. Finn led Marceline to the women's department and searched for clothes that she actually liked. They picked out everything in smaller sizes and went to the fitting rooms.

The first outfit Marceline tried was just her style; ripped jeans and a graphic tee, but Finn frowned.

"The shirt fits you too well," he blushed as he said this. "You need something that won't, er, hug your curves as much; to keep the guys away," his blush deepened. Marceline nodded and vanished again. "No," he was still blushing when she came back out. "Too much skin showing. Marceline, if you look like a whore, you're gonna have more than Simon Petrikov to deal with," she finally emerged in regular jeans and a black T-shirt with the bloody words "Team REAL Vampires," on its front and a fanged grin on the back.

"But I'm keepin' the boots," Finn walked around her, his face absolutely red to the point of stopping traffic by this point.

"Let's see...T-shirt's not too tight-fitting, jeans don't compliment your butt too much, no skin showing... Marceline, let's go pay," she changed into her new clothes in the mall bathroom, swiftly and sloppily. She barely checked to make sure her jeans were zipped before flying back out to Finn's side and clutching his shirt. The ladies in that bathroom had been giving her the dirtiest of looks, and some of them reminded her of Bonnie. They walked back to the store after depositing her old clothes in the trash (Finn had embarrassedly ripped the tags from her new ones) and headed to the lingerie department. Marceline looked at Finn.

"You don't have to stay..." she whispered, but he was glaring at a group of men ogling the young woman, clearly waiting for her to make her selection and enter the fitting room alone.

"No," he growled. "You're not being raped again just because I was a wimp. I'm staying," he rested a hand on her shoulder and smiled comfortingly. Marceline managed a wobbly grin in return, and they began to sort through the lingerie. Finn would pull things out and hand them to her, blushing, and she would occasionally choose something herself.

"Finn, may I go try these on?"

"Sure," he led her into the curtained dressing room. "I'll be right outside the door in case you need me," the young man promised her. Marceline nodded and stepped into one of the stalls. "But I definitely don't want you coming out without clothes on, okay?" she nodded.

After much deliberating, she decided on a plain red bra and some plain black panties. No lace (Finn had said that lace was "too sexy"). Marceline dressed in her old undergarments and new clothes, bringing out the new ones and unceremoniously dumping the others into the wire bin for rejects.

Finn wasn't there.

He had inevitably ditched her.

Oh well.

Just another heartbreak to add to the collection.

Marceline cautiously poked her head out of the curtains and found him pinning one of the men from earlier against the wall.

"...and if you ever do that again, I'll rip off your balls," Finn snarled, hurling the man aside. The group ran for it, and Marceline trembled with fear. Finn sighed heavily, then looked over at her. "Marceline," he greeted her. "They wanted to rape you," her trembling intensified, "but I would never let that happen," she ran the few steps it took to get to him, and he held her close.

Friend...

Was Finn her friend?

"Sh, sh. It's okay. I'm here," he said softly, stroking her hair and rubbing her back. She sniffed and nodded into him, pulling away. She was ashamed at herself for doing something like that. Finn smiled at her and took the hand that wasn't clutching undergarments. "Let's go buy you those clothes."

* * *

After that, they went back to the street and collected Marceline's things, heading to the park bench where she stayed. They sat there for a time, not speaking. Marceline enjoyed the peace and quiet, the company of another.

Then Finn's phone rang.

"Hello? ...Oh hey Jake! ...No, I'm with Marceline. ...Yes, the homeless girl. ...We spent the day together. ...Can she spend the night? ...What do you mean 'no way?' ...Jake, there's no such thing as homeless germs. ...Yeah, just one. ...Yeah, I'll stop complaining about Lady. ...Great! ...Yeah yeah, thanks bro!" Finn hung up. "Great news! You can spend the night in a house tonight!" Marceline smiled shakily. "Hey," Finn wrapped an arm around her, "would I hurt you?" she hesitated, and his face fell.

That told her all she needed to know.

"No," she answered, her smile genuine. Finn beamed.

"Great!" he gathered her stuff in his arms, and she slung her bass guitar over her shoulder. They only walked about a little bit around the park's perimeter before coming across a large, two story house. It was made of gray stone, and had a castle turret at each corner. Marceline's jaw fell slack. "Oh. Heh...maybe I forgot to mention that my bro and I are kinda rich?"

_Kinda?_

They walked up to the large oak doors, and Finn kicked one as a knock. Jake opened it and frowned at Marceline. She felt her lip tremble. Finn pushed past his brother and deposited Marceline's stuff on a large red couch. The living room was cream, with red accents and a soaring ceiling. Jake hurried from the room.

"I'll show you around," Finn led her through pointless room after pointless room; kitchen, dining room, game room, den, other game room, backyard, porch, den, kids' room, bathroom, and three more bathrooms. Finally, he led her up a huge spiral staircase and into a bedroom. "This is my room," he said with a grin. Everything was...surprisingly plain. There was a balcony, which Finn led her onto. The balcony led onto the barely slanted roof. He led her onto it. "That's Jake's room," he pointed at the turret directly in front of them. "The other two are guest rooms. I'll show you yours," he led her to the turret overlooking the park, the one close to his, which also overlooked the park. The room was even plainer than Finn's. "You'll have it all to yourself. How's that for wonderful?" she grinned at him.

"Thank you, Finn."

"It's no problem. Dinner?" she left her guitar on the bed and headed downstairs to see three plates laid out on the kitchen counter. One was considerably smaller than the others... "This must be mine!" Finn picked it up with a forced smile, and Marceline gaped at him. Why? Why would he do that? Was he really that selfless? She picked up one of the plates piled high with food she had never seen before and walked out to sit at the long table, scooting her chair closer to Finn's. As he finished his plate (she was halfway done), his stomach rumbled. Jake was happily stuffing his face and shooting Marceline the occasional glare, but she managed to ignore him, pushing some of her food onto Finn's plate.

"Here."

"No," he pushed the plate at her. "This is your third good meal in who knows how long," he told her firmly. "You need the nutrition," but she refused to eat anything else, ignoring the protests in her stomach. Finally, Finn took a bite. She did as well. They kept doing that, leading off of each other, until all the food was gone. Jake watched their strange behavior curiously.

"You two want seconds?" he asked. Marceline's heart leapt at the way she was included.

"Yes, please!" she begged. Jake headed into the kitchen, and Finn smiled at her; kindly, gently, softly, sweetly...like a father to a daughter, one lover to another, or a close friend to a closer one. It was as thought they had known each other for years; they had the bond Marceline had so desperately longed for with her father, Ash, and Bonnie.

That made all the stares she had been put through today worth it.

* * *

After dinner, Marceline went up to bed and curled up under the white sheets, but found herself unable to sleep. A storm whipped around the turret, and she whimpered. Being homeless had taught her to fear the weather. So she pattered from her room and through the house until she found Finn's, knocking ever so lightly on the doors. He answered, his eyes bleary and wearing only boxers for clothes. He and Marceline both blushed.

"I...I can't sleep..." he waved her in and dug through his drawers, pulling on some sweatpants and a T-shirt. She sat on the corner of the bed and bit her lip, fully expecting to be beaten and thrown out. That was what Ash had done when she had awoken him. But no, Finn just lay down again and looked up at her.

"Aren't you coming?" so she did, and he kept a respectful distance. They lay on their backs, side by side. Thunder clapped, and Marceline squeaked. "Sh, sh," he reached over and ran his thumb down the side of her face. "It's okay."

"Sorry," she forced herself to relax a little. "When you're homeless, you fear the weather."

"It's okay," he repeated, withdrawing his arm. Thunder clapped again, this time accompanied by a lightning bolt. Marceline screamed briefly and rolled, tucking her face into Finn's side. He still didn't try to cuddle with her, which she was grateful for. She could barely breathe through him, but his warmth would keep her safe. Slowly, slowly, Marceline felt herself drifting into oblivion...


	6. Carnival

When Marceline awoke in the morning, she wasn't expecting to be in a bed, she wasn't expecting to have a roof over her head, she wasn't expecting to be decent, and she definitely wasn't expecting to be alone. With a slight whimper, Marceline stood and made up the bed before cautiously walking down the stairs, wishing she had Hambo to clutch to her chest, or at the least, Finn to hold on to. When she came close to the den on the second floor, she heard a familiar laugh, but she couldn't place it...

She walked around the corner and caught sight of a young woman with strawberry blonde hair, blue eyes, and a flawless face. Marceline's own eyes flew open wide, and she tried to hide herself behind the wall. It was too late, though; Finn had seen her.

"Marceline?" he called confusedly. "What's wrong?"

"Did you say...Marceline? Abadeer?" the woman in the den asked.

"I dunno, I never asked for her last name. Why?" she heard Finn stand, and he poked his head around the corner. "Marceline, come on. Don't be like this. She's one of my closest friends," Marceline's breath froze.

_I knew it was too good to be true!_

Finn dragged her out into the den, with her digging in her heels and fighting him the whole time. Finally, she was permitted to see the face that had tormented her thoughts for so long.

"Hello, Marceline," the woman in the blue chair said coldly. Marceline's lip trembled.

"Hello, Bonnibel," she managed to say without faltering. Finn gently led her to sit with him on the blue couch. This room's theme was gray and blue.

"You two know each other?" Finn asked curiously.

"We used to be best friends."

"She kicked me out to go to college."

They spoke at the same time, and Finn raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't kick you out!"

"Well you didn't do anything while your dad did," Marceline's eyes were tearing up, but she wouldn't let herself be weak.

"So you've been living with Finn?"

"I've lived with Ash and on the street," she answered flatly.

"Who's Ash?" Finn asked.

"Her..."

"Ex."

"Yeah," Bonnibel said lamely. "He...um...I actually don't know much because she didn't tell me a lot about him..."

"And I won't, either."

"Marceline," Finn slid an arm around her and she instinctively relaxed at the comforting touch she hadn't felt in so long, "what's wrong?"

"She is!"

"Calm down," he replied to her unexpected outburst. "I want you to come out of your shell, but not like this."

"Breakfast!" Jake shouted from downstairs. The three of them headed down the grand staircase and walked through the huge hall to the dining room, where heaping plates of giant cinnamon rolls sat. Marceline sat beside Finn and slid closer to him, just like she had last night during dinner.

"So," Bonnibel chewed, "what is the, er, nature of your relationship?" Finn spat out his pancakes.

"What! Bonnie, why would you ask that? I only met her a couple days ago! She's...not just some homeless girl. She's my friend," Marceline turned red as she realized exactly what the question had meant.

Bonnibel thought she was a prostitute_._

_Would Finn even...? Yeah. Any guy would._

_But he's different!_

_He's just another person who's gonna turn around and be a backstabber!_

Two sides of Marceline fought inside her head. She scooched her chair back and stood without finishing her breakfast.

"I'd best be going. I have to play all day if I want to get any money at all."

"What?"

"She sits on the sidewalk and plays her guitar, hoping people will give her money," Finn explained. Marceline nodded. "But she's not going today," he continued, "because she'd rather spend the day at the carnival with me. Right, Marceline?" she nodded, knowing that that was the answer he desired and fearing what might happen if she didn't agree. Plus, a carnival did sound just a little bit fun...

"Can I come?" Bonnibel asked.

"Sorry, Bonnie, but you make her uncomfortable. I really want to build her up instead of tear her down. It seems like that's happened too much already."

_But what happens when I let down my guard after it's built up?_ Marceline wondered. _What would you do, Finn?_

"I understand," Bonnie nodded and smiled sweetly. Finn stood and took Marceline's hand, leading her to a previously unexplored door that led to the garage. She gaped at the sky blue two-seater convertible, the sky blue muscle car, the sky blue van, and the sky blue bus. Wait, a bus? She blinked hard, but it was still there.

"I...have a lot of friends," Finn blushed, "and Jake's licensed to drive buses."

"Mmkay," Marceline accepted his words without hesitation and sat in the convertible as he held open the door. He seated himself in the driver's seat and turned the key. The top was down.

"Some people call this a girly car, but I love it. Makes me feel like I'm flying," Finn patted the side of the car and pressed a button to open the garage.

"Why is everything blue?"

"It's my favorite color. Jake's cars are all yellow," Finn explained. "He's got a buncha muscle cars."

"Oh," Marceline said, nodding as they pulled out. Finn pushed the button again, and they began to fly through town. Marceline just had to smile at the wind in her hair...

All too soon, they were parking in front of a carnival. Finn paid for their tickets, and they entered. Marceline shied away from people, and Finn noticed.

"It's okay," he said softly, taking her hand. She managed a wobbly but brave smile and walked boldly into the crowd, Finn the angel at her side to protect her from harm.

Then her heart stopped.

_Oh no no, God no! Not here! Not with Finn!_

"Let's go this way," she abruptly whirled around and strode to her former right, dragging Finn after her.

"What? Why?" she whimpered a little, and he sped up. "If it's somebody who's hurt you, I swear I won't let them do it again."

"It's...it's nothing," she murmured, casting her gaze aside from his disbelieving one. "L-let's go ride that...um..."

"Let's just play games, okay?" Finn smiled. "I don't want to overwhelm you," and they did. They played until Marceline laughed and left her troubles behind at last, clutching the stuffed penguin half her size that Finn had won in a duel of foam swords to her side with one arm.

Then Finn left her in favor of the bathroom, and a cold hand seized her wrist. She froze up.

"Tick tock, Ms. Abadeer," he sneered, mockingly polite. Marceline trembled. _They were spying on her!_ "Tick tock," then Finn returned and the gang's hitman slid away. Finn gave her a puzzled look, which she responded to with a smile as fake as an orange tan. Finn shrugged.

"If you don't want to tell me, you won't," he said logically before leading her to a ferris wheel. Marceline saw money exchanged before they got on, and the ride stopped while they were at the peak, just as the sun was going down.

"Wh-what's going on?"

"They always stop the ride. I figured we'd enjoy the view," Marceline thought back to the money and blushed. "After this, you wanna go home?" they had eaten hot dogs and cotton candy for dinner.

"Thanks for everything, but I can't stay another night. I...I can't explain," she didn't want to admit that her very presence endangered her new "friend."

"Well, at least stay one more night, okay?"

"I..." she really, really wanted to... "I can't. I'm sorry, Finn."

"Nothing to be sorry for!" he gave her a grin that was clearly forced. He thought she didn't trust him, and he was right. But Marceline couldn't stay _because_ of the small amount of trust she did have for him...that trust that could so easily be built into a powerful bond of friendship and be broken so much more swiftly.

"Yes there is," she replied.

"As long as you promise to meet me for breakfast from now on, there's no problem."

"But my money...!"

"Let me worry about that," Finn smiled. Marceline hesitated, then nodded.

"Okay."

"Sleep in tomorrow," he urged. "I'll meet you at your bench at noon," she blinked vacantly. "After we get you a watch, of course."

"I've never had a watch..." she said in a small voice.

"Have you...been to school?" she looked away. "Wow. How...?"

"My dad," she said shortly, implying that she was done with the subject. Finn picked up on her hint and let her be.

"Your dad never deserved you," the ride began to move again.

"For the record, Finn?" Marceline hesitated, savoring the taste of his name on his tongue, the name of someone who cared. "...I think you're right."


	7. Ash

Marceline awoke the next morning to see a very familiar face leering down at her. She scrambled away and fell off of her bench.

"A-Ash!" she stammered, rolling to her feet and stepping back. "Wh-what do you want?"

"What's always been mine," he snarled. Marceline looked at her watch.

Eleven fifty-five.

_Come on, Finn!_ she pleaded silently as Ash pulled her away from her bench and into a family restroom. _Please..._

* * *

"Y-you're late," Marceline hugged herself when Finn arrived thirty minutes later.

"Sorry!" he panted. "Jake got mad and locked the door and hid the house keys and—did something happen?"

"What? No!" she denied.

"Something did!"

"N-no it didn't!"

"Pft."

"I'm being honest!"

"Then why is your shirt all rumpled up?" he examined her with a critical eye. "God, Marceline! Your jeans aren't even buttoned!" she hurried to do so. "What shook you up that much?"

"I-it was nothing."

"No," he sat beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders to draw her in. She squeaked and stiffened. She knew that Finn wasn't one to do _that_ (as far as she could tell), but the feeling of having a man touching her was very, _very_ bad at the moment. "Oh my God! Were you raped?" Finn hissed. Tears filled Marceline's eyes.

"No," she lied.

"You were," he growled. "I can see it in your eyes. Who was it? _Who was it_?" he sounded _furious!_ Marceline scrambled away. "Oh shit!" FInn ran his hands through his hair in clear dismay and distress. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you!"

"It's fine," she whimpered.

"No, it's not fine."

"Are we just gonna argue all day?" she asked quietly.

"No. I'm taking you to an awesome bar I know. I only go when I really need a good time, and I figure you could probably use one," so Marceline slung her guitar across her back and followed Finn to the street, where they caught a taxi. "Take us to Kevin's, and make it snappy."

"Usually one picks up a girl after going to a bar. Just going for the drinks?" the driver wiggled his eyebrows. Finn growled.

"She isn't my girlfriend, she's my friend, and we're going for the experience; she's never been. Now step on it!"

"Well hey, if she's free, so am I..."

"I said,_ step on it!_"

"It's fine," Marceline whispered. "I can take it," but Finn gave her a look that said he knew she was lying.

"Shut up and drive fast, or I'll have you arrested for verbally, sexually harassing a young woman," Finn ordered.

The driver shut up and drove.

Wasn't long before they reached a corner bar. There was a bulky guy outside.

"He's just there to scare off any kids," Finn told Marceline, "and for crowd control."

"Whoa there!" the big man caught Marceline by the shoulder. "No weapons!"

"She's with me," Finn gave a winning smile.

"Oh. Well that's a little different," the man released Marceline. "Sorry 'bout that," he waved them inside, and in they went. It wasn't crowded at all, so Marceline could take in the scene; a dance floor, a stage, a bar, some tables...pretty cool. Jake waved from a booth.

"Jake! What're you doing here?" Finn asked as he hurried over, Marceline trailing behind like a lost puppy.

"I brought m'lady. You?"

"Just showing Marceline around."

"Finn, it's not like she's two. She knows the city," Finn blushed.

"Well yeah, but she lives on a bench, man! You expect me to just abandon her?" Jake looked at Marceline.

"Okay, she is pretty cool...for a homeless chick...but she can't meet Lady! I don't want her to mess stuff up!"

"Okay okay, jeez. We'll go," they walked out of the bar.

"Thanks for showing me that place, Finn," Marceline said quietly as they started to walk.

"No problem! Next order of business; I'm buying you a cell phone. It'll go on my bill, don't worry," so he bought her a cheap little TracFone (he had tried to buy her an iPhone, but Marceline had refused) with triple minutes. He put his number into the phone, and he put in his home number, and Jake's cell phone, and even Bonnibel's home and cell. "If you ever need help, it's just a call away," Finn told her. Then he bought her a thousand minutes, which translated into three thousand. The clerk was left gaping. They went to WalMart, and Finn bought Marceline a red apple for her lunch. They went back to the park and lay under a sprawling oak tree in the heart, with only the gray sky for warmth.

"...Finn?"

"Mm?"

"This morning, m-my ex, he..."

"Hey, it's okay," Finn propped himself up on an elbow and wiped away her tears. "You don't have to talk about it."

"Ash...that's his name. Ash Figglefaggart."

"I'll be sure to give him a call," Finn said darkly. Marceline bit her lip.

"You really don't have to..."

"Really, Marceline. It's okay. I want to. Any jerk who goes around raping young women deserves a little reality check."

"Okay then," was her weak reply. Finn stood and pulled her to her feet, handing her a one hundred dollar bill.

"Go have yourself a nice dinner," he said before leaving.

But she didn't.

She couldn't afford to.

* * *

"Hey Mar-Mar, get up," Marceline blinked awake to those all-too familiar brown eyes watching her. "Your little chump? He doesn't scare me. I'll be back for you, Mar-Mar. Until you love me again, I'll be back."

And then Ash Figglefaggart faded into the night, leaving his ex cowering on her bench.

_Thanks for trying, Finn..._


End file.
